I haven't seen snow since I was 4. That was 23 years ago. There seems to be a lot of talk of snow lately. I also live in a hot spot on Florida's west coast which is infested with snowbirds right now. This begs the question, what are they running from?
Is the snow really that bad or is it the ice?
Does salt really destroy cars? We are told to never buy cars from snowy states. Does the terrain make it a lot worse to drive in?
Do you get a lot of days off work cause of snow? Why do you have to shovel it, why not just drive through it? Do northern states use a lot of stuff like windshield washer fliud with anti-freeze in it and gas de-icer? Does snow stay for days or weeks on end or does it snow and melt and then snow again or melt and turn to ice? What is the difference between freezing rain, sleet, and the different types of snow? I hear of counties in northern states that have entire segments of thier budgets devoted to snow related expenses, is that true? Are saucer sleds fun? How does a snowmobile work? I've never seen one. What happens to swimming pools in winter?

Two days ago, it was about 76 degrees here in Fl. We slept with the windows open that night. Then I go online and see the pics of trucks surrounded by 10ft. snow banks and you all act like it's no biggie. The grass is still green in Fl. so these pics seem like another planet. I am thinking I need to see some snow for myself. Where is the best time and place to do this. I watch The Weather Channel and it seems like the lake effect snow in Buffalo, Ohio, Penn. and Michigan looks like fun. Is there any kind of snow tourist attractions other than ski resorts? Places where you can snowmobile or icefish or something I may otherwise never get to do.

 

Oh, and one final question. Is there any plant or tree of any kind that does not die in winter up north? Every movie I see with a northern winter setting shows everything dead.

 

Evergreens stay alive - thus the name Ia had to respond to your saucer sled question. Yes, yes they are extremely fun. But I don't use mine like others. I take a bottle of Wesson oil, and oil up the bottom of the sled. Lots. It kills the grass sometimes when it gets through the snow. I take my ski rope out of the boat and tie it to my trailer hitch on the F150. I sit on the disc, lock my feet in the best I can, give a thumbs up to whoever is driving the truck and take off. Nothing better then catching a quick, letting go of the rope and taking off straight into a snow bank about 25mph or so . That's winter fun. I'm getting to old for this.

Scot

 

Hasn't been above freezing around here for a few weeks. We've got about a foot of snow. Every couple of days, we get another inch or two, just to keep everything white. One of the coldest Decembers on record for us.

Going sledding tonight for the first time in awhile. Looking forward to it! Nice fire, some "anti-freeze"...

Seacrow, I'll bet your truck is a lot cleaner than mine right now!

------------------
* 2000 F-150 XLT FS; Black
* 4x4 ORP
* 5.4L
* 3.55 Limited Slip
* Stepups
* Sliding Rear Window
* 6-Way Power Seat
* Remote Keyless Entry
* Lund Trident Bug Shield

So many mods, so little cash! On the up side, no wife to create a filibuster.

 

I'll be happy to load up the bed of the ole F150 and bring ya a truckload of the stuff. It may be a bed load of water by the time I get there, but worth a try.. brrrrrrrrrrr its cold out there.

------------------
2001 Supercrew, white/silver Lariat,

• gray leather capt. chairs,
• 5.4L,
• Expedition console,
• Truck Master Designs front air dam w/lights
• window tint
• wood dash,
• cobra hood,
• billet grill,
• Ford chrome tube steps,
• Line-X liner,
• Magnaflow cat-back dual exhaust w/stainless tips,
• k/n filter,
• Audiovox flip down TV
• V-Tech tail light covers and front marker covers
• Ventvisors
• Astro fiberglass tonneau

http://hometown.aol.com/washyourcar/supercrew.html one50npump@aol.com

 

Ahhhh the Northern Hemisphere!

Snow is real perdy when it is heavy enough to paint all trees and branches pure white! Our snow banks are meer challenges to smash through them with our tall 4x4s

The cold air keeps are nipples hard and strong for months at a time. Seriously though nothing more romantic than sitting in front of a roaring fireplace with your girlfriend and hot cup of coffee, looking at the wonderous icy nature out the half frosted window.

The slippery roads make you feel like your in a rally taking those curves on a side swipe and being thankfull for that big snowbank to cushion your crash!

Our trees looses thier leaves in the color rich fall season with reds, oranges and browns. When winter comes, only the evergreens stay green.

Our windshield wiper liquid is blue during the winter seasons and salt liters our roads and make big brown turds hanging onto our inner fender walls etc... slowely rusting our vehicles! Some of us oil or undercoat our vehicles to protect from the old mr. rust!

I like peanuts! Oh Oh time for number 2 again, Hic, Hic (Cowlady)...

 

I wish that the snow would melt a little faster. I'm running out of places to put the stuff. Seacrow if you want some come to Iowa and take all you want. Going to go truck sledding when I hea back down to Ames. Nothing more fun than going 30mph on a small plastic disk. I think we're gonna build a ramp this year and see how far we can launch off of it with the sled.

------------------
1997 F-150 Lariat
Ext Cab Short Box
4x4 Off Road Package
3.55 Gears
265/75 R16 Uniroyal Laredo M/Ts

My 2 cents worth

If you're gonna stroke it, POWERSTROKE IT!!!

 

Powerstroke, I see you're a fan of the fine art of truck sledding too. I do it year round, or whenever the beer is plentiful If you ever have a chance to get swung out on or run across a gravel driveway in a metal disc sled, it's a sight to be seen. Not only does it get hot as heck, the light show is great! lol

Scot

 

The sight of a metal sled riding on asphalt is a sight to behold. The only really bad mishap I have had is I was sleding in the parking lot of the dorms as college (which is a big lot) and there is 1 curb in the lot in the middle and I forgot about it. Luckily when I hit it there were no cars in the lot. It made for on heck of a ride.

 

Seacrow, you looking for winter fun, the snowmobile is the ticket. 100+ hp in a 400 lb machine! A track out back and ski's in the front, what a blast.

hope the pic works.
Jeff

------------------
1999 F-150 Lariat 4X2
Reg cab Short box Styleside
5.4L 3.55ls
Deep Wedgwood Blue/Silver
Lund Interceptor hood shield
VentVisors
Class III hitch
Ford molded mud guards
Soft tonneau cover
Factory CD with changer
Tinted windows
Factory fog light kit

http://www.my-f150.com/lariatregcab/




[This message has been edited by JA_Stang86 (edited 12-29-2000).]

 

Seacrow-
Snow is great...It allows you to drive on any lanes without getting a ticket, because you can't see the damn lines. Also makes interesting High, make that Low speed chases with the cops.
Plus, I have bragging rights that I put a woman in her Cavalier into a snowbank up to the doors.....Dumb woman cut me off!!!!

 

Seacrow,

You're pissin' me off ..... here we are in NJ about to get blasted with from 8 to 16 inches of that white stuff and you're tellin' us about 76 degrees in Florida.

And I have to drag my a$$ out tomorrow and shovel it!

The "snowbirds" are heading South 'cause they ate too much "yellow snow" and I hope their dogs pi$$ on your palm trees.....

------------------
Dunbarton "The Middle Aged Kid" '99 XLT SC SB 4x2 4.6 auto 3.55 ls The occasional Z-71 Eater! Wedgewood & Denim, SuperChipped, Airaid FIPK, HD electrical and cooling, power seat, Rhino Liner, Extang Classic tonneau cover, Mobil 1. Man, I got it all! (New Jersey)

 

SeaCrow,

The snow birds are running from the snow, cold weather and depression. The snow is a Pain In The A to shovel. The cold weather can cause asthma sufferers to have frequent attacks. The shorter days and cloudiness cause depression. There is no better cure for depression than a dip in the pool followed with liberal amounts of #2. (ref: Cowlady shovel snow)

The tons of salt used on the roads are flung up under the fenders and bumpers and cause premature rust. The first snow fall causes a lot of fender benders until people re-learn how to drive in it. Unless the snow fall exceeds the capacity of the city to clear the snow no days off are allowed. If you own a 4x4 you must drive up and down the streets and snicker at the 4x2s stuck in the snow. Getting out to help is optional.

You shovel it to make room to drive through it. If you were to leave just 4 inches of snow on the road and let 50 cars drive over it the last 35 cars would be driving on ice. The friction from the tires cause heat which melts the snow.

Depending on the temp when the snow falls it could stay for a day or last through the winter. Mother nature decides this one. Windshield washer fluid was covered by "eph1fifty". Gas deicer ( fuel line deicer/antifreeze) is only used if you have water in the gas line or to prevent it from freezing. Methal hydrate «sp» can also be used.

Freezing rain is water that freezes immediately upon contact with the frozen ground. Can only happen if the ground is frozen. Sleet is rain drops that have frozen while still in the air and hit the ground as ice pellets. Try http://nsidc.org/index.html
for some interesting facts about snow.
Montréal, Québec, Canada spends millions of dollars on snow removal. They actually truck it away and dump it in the river!

Try http://www.ski-doo.com/english/default.htm
J.- Armand Bombardier invented them to be able to travel between towns in Québec during the winter.
A tragic loss of life caused by this inability prompted the man to find a way to travel when the roads were closed.

Swimming pools freeze in the winter. Generally one lowers the water level a few feet so the expanding ice will have a place to go.

Hope this helps
Regards

Jean Marc Chartier


------------------
00 F-150 XLT SC Flairside 4x4 4.6 w/5spd 3.55LSD
Warn XD9000i, skid plates, Draw tite class III,
Rancho RSX Reflex shocks,
BFG 285/75 R16 MTs,
Borla Cat Back, Headman Headers,
Modified Air Cleaner Outlet Tube
and air box, Ported Throttle body,
Shortened MAF sensor tower,
K&N air filter,
Superchips





[This message has been edited by JMC (edited 12-29-2000).]

 

OK, now some one from the North, ask Seacrow what hurricane season is like.

------------------
'99 F-150 XLT SC 4x4 5.4L Auto 3.55LS Tow pkg, skid plates, keyless entry, UWS tool box, Superchip, Gibson pipes w/ Flowmaster 40 series muffler, K&N filter, BFG 265/75/16 All-Terrain TA/KO

 

Okay - first I would like to thank eph1fifty & JMC for reading my bit on how to shovel! Did you also see the pics I posted last nite showing my snow removal equipment 1999-2001? Check it out, ok?
Now - to one50npump, powerstroke73, Dunbarton & eph1fifty - how's about we load up our trucks with a "gift" of snow & bring it on down to the Sunshine State? You know, if we get enough of it & dump it there we just might be able to lower the temp in the WHOLE state & then they too can experience the wonders & beauty of snow themselves! LOL! I think it would be a very neighborly gesture, don't you? We can also turn it into a truck rally of sorts & while we're there we can wash the salt off our trucks w/o the trucks turning into ice sculptures! Don't worry about the effect of the salt on Floridian soil - they're surrounded by salt water anyhow!
Okay Seacrow - how do I explain snow & driving in it? Try this - imagine you are driving on a road full of ball bearings & suddenly & w/o warning, someone throws a blanket over the windshield completely covering it. You can't see a thing - not even the hood of the vehicle, you can't stop because of the road being so slippery & you can't pull over or stop. You just keep going as slowly as you can & wait for the little window of visibility to open up so you can see if you're still on the road! Then, you get hit in the face with a fine "mist" of snow because it has managed to get into the defroster & is now floating up into your face! Then, even though YOU have 4 wheel drive you can only do 15-20 mph because of all the people in cars who THINK they can barrel thru any snow & find they can't & spin out in front of you. It's a game of Dodge 'Em cars played out all around you & I STRESS around because hopefully they don't spin into you! Okay - now you have arrived at your destination & you exit your nice warm truck only to be slapped in the face with temps so cold they could do cryogenic surgery on you & you'd never feel a thing! You run, slipping & sliding into a warm building, grab a bottle from #2 in my how to shovel tips & vow never to move till it's "tropical" outside again which up here means temps in the double digit range! BTW - it's warm here right now - it's 18!!!!
Now you have a very SLIGHT idea of what it's like to live/drive in Buffalo & other Northern cities from which I & my friends hail! Would I live anywhere else? SURE! BUT - I also like it when the temps change more than a degree or 2 so it would have to be somewhere that does get a winter but maybe a little less severe!
I hope you enjoyed my little scenario & I think I've done a fairly accurate job of describing driving conditions up here in the frozen North. If you ever want to come see it for yourself, let me know. I'd be happy to serve as your guide & show you around - especially Niagara Falls which really is pretty this time of year! All the trees, railings, street lamps & tourists who stand still for a few minutes are encased in ice! It's a sight to behold! Seriously!

------------------
If you can't beat 'em, you're NOT driving a FORD!

'97 Black F150 XLT ORP 4X4
4.6L/auto/3.55 LS/power EVERYTHING,
nerf bars, 17" wheels, fog lights, trailer hitch w/electrical connector, front tow hooks, bed rail caps,
6 CD changer, lumbar support & 3 cow license plates - so far!
I'll fill in the rest as I get to know the truck better BUT it's big, it's pretty & best of all - IT'S A FORD! He's SO cute!

[This message has been edited by Cowlady (edited 12-30-2000).]